Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Landlords are required to provide a certain level of heat; a reasonable time without any heat depends upon what the temperature is like. Technically a day without heat is a violation; you should tell the landlord that ans that you want the heat on by X day. There is no definite standard however.

Providing heat is one of the basic standards for habitability according to our civil code. Your landlord must provide heat to your apt or they have violated this standard and you should have your rent lowered for the time without heat. Now to what degree is the next important question. Obviously not having heat in the summer is not as crucial as not having heat in the winter given the cold spell we have been having.

Your landlord needs to get this fixed immediately if it is cold out and you should get some rebate on your rent depending on how miserable you were.

Good luck and hope that helps.